Miami is hiring former Heat player Caron Butler as assistant coach
The Miami Heat is hiring Caron Butler, one of its former first-round picks, as an assistant coach on Erik Spoelstra’s staff, two sources told the Miami Herald on Friday.
Butler fills the job vacated by the departure of Dan Craig to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Three years ago, Butler was a finalist for the Heat TV analyst job that went to John Crotty.
The Heat drafted Butler 10th overall in 2002. He spent two seasons with the Heat before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a package to acquire Shaquille O’Neal.
He was a two-time All Star and last played for the Sacramento Kings in 2015-16. Since then, Butler has been a TV analyst for NBA TV.
He has no coaching experience.
Butler is expected to join Chris Quinn and Malik Allen on the Heat’s bench.
Anthony Carter, shooting coach Rob Fodor and Octavio De La Grana also are on the Heat’s staff.
Among those pleased with Butler’s hiring: Heat forward Udonis Haslem, who announced on Friday that he’s returning for an 18th season.
“That’s amazing,” Haslem said. “It’s something that coach Spo and I talked about. It’s something that I had gotten wind of early on and I was on board, man. Not that they needed my blessing, but I was on board. You talk about who we are and what we are and what we embody, Caron Butler is somebody who brought me up under his wing.
“They talk about OGs, Caron Butler, it sounds crazy because of how young he is but he was my OG. When I came into this organization, Caron Butler was somebody, even though I was from Miami born and raised, he was somebody who showed me what it was to be a professional. Not just a professional, but a professional for the Miami Heat. Everybody understands that if you’re professional for the Miami Heat, you’re going to be asked to do a little more.”
Butler was effusive in his praise of the Heat in recent months.
“If they can add another piece with what they have developing, they will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come,” Heat forward Caron Butler said on NBA TV after the Heat lost in the NBA Finals. “You bring back this team with more pieces, this team is going to be a problem.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 11:29 AM.
